So, you want a D1 football playoff?
- Thread starter Bleeding Husker Red
- Start date
BIGREDIOWAN
Mods
Probably not! It will take the money out of someone's pocket so they'll shoot it down.
Bleeding Husker Red
Starter
As far as I know, nobody has talked the big 10 or Pac 10 into it yet, so I think it's a moot point. But, here we go again 
papersun87
All-American
Can we effectively say, "Screw the Big 10" at this point? Do we really NEED them to have a playoff?
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Bleeding Husker Red
Starter
Probably not. People wouldn't be happy without them. I think it's really about media hyping the subject to create controversy. Gives them something to get their ratings up by. I'd ask if we REALLY need a playoff? The problem is the polls, which only came about in the 1930s and 1950s as we now know them. That's what's broken...not the bowl sysytem. So to me, fix the polls, don't replace the bowls.
I'd just eliminate the polls.
I think a playoff of any kind does. The Bowl system was part of the charm of D1 ball. 1AA and lower have playoffs and nobody really cares. Get rid of the polls, and the regular season IS a playoff. You just have to be happy with titles of conference champion and bowl champion. Really if you think about it, with 120 teams in the division you can't have everybody play everybody so how can you ever really know for certain who the NC is? How many unranked teams knocked of highly ranked teams this last year?
The only way would be every week number 1 vs number 2...number 3 vs number 4 etc... but those rankings would still have to be determined by votes so it's still all about your popularity, not really your ability. Playoffs won't solve the problem without breaking the division into smaller leagues. No matter how you slice it, you have to get rid of the polls to take opinions out of it. Otherwise it's never truly completely settled on the field.
But they keep trying anyway....
I hear ya, brother...I hear ya...
beamout2000
Four-Star Recruit
To address a couple of points:
The reason that few people follow FCS and lower division playoffs is the same reason there may never be a true FBS playoff. That is money. The FCS and D-II and III schools are not household names because they don't have the huge money and PR machines working for them like a major FBS program does. They also don't have the traditional large fan-base because they are traditionally smaller schools (Texas State is FCS but has 28 thousand students so we are the exception to that rule). Having been through D-II playoffs three times while I was in college and FCS playoffs in 2005 I have to say it's a lot of fun.
As to the argument that people would't follow FBS playoffs because people don't follow FCS playoffs you can't make that assumption because people will follow post season FBS play whether it's bowls or playoffs because these are the big schools with big names and big money and weekly television coverage, all of which as mentioned earlier FCS and below teams don't have, (and many FBS teams as well like teams in the Sunbelt and MAC).
The reason that few people follow FCS and lower division playoffs is the same reason there may never be a true FBS playoff. That is money. The FCS and D-II and III schools are not household names because they don't have the huge money and PR machines working for them like a major FBS program does. They also don't have the traditional large fan-base because they are traditionally smaller schools (Texas State is FCS but has 28 thousand students so we are the exception to that rule). Having been through D-II playoffs three times while I was in college and FCS playoffs in 2005 I have to say it's a lot of fun.
As to the argument that people would't follow FBS playoffs because people don't follow FCS playoffs you can't make that assumption because people will follow post season FBS play whether it's bowls or playoffs because these are the big schools with big names and big money and weekly television coverage, all of which as mentioned earlier FCS and below teams don't have, (and many FBS teams as well like teams in the Sunbelt and MAC).
Bleeding Husker Red
Starter
beamout2000 said:
Money is a huge part of it, but it's been shown numerous times now that there would be more money in a playoff system...especially if the bowl games were the playoff games. The Big 10/Pac 10 in particular STILL don't want it. Their gig is the Rose Bowl, that's the way they like it.
I don't know if I buy the 'no large fan base' argument either. Probably true for many schools, but I think Texas State would travel well if it got the media..I'm pretty sure UNO would too. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my belief. My point is that having a playoff system hasn't vaulted them into the national lime light. The Bowl system is part of what gave D1 it's charm. Dont get me wrong, I'm sure people would follow d1 playoffs (I ain't calling it FBS :angry: ) ,I'm saying it won't make the controversy go away. And I think they're not neccesary. Just play your conference shedule, and let the bowls be the reward for a good season. Kill the polls, not the bowls. The polls are the thing that's broken.
Jeez...28.000 students at Texas State.. Nebraska only has about 17,000.. :lol:
HUSKER 37
All-American
I was glad they shot it down for awhile.
The best thing the BCS has done is exposed the Big-11 as a relatively weak conference.
I used to think it was a good compromise between the old Bowl system and playoffs, but I'm almost starting to lean back to the old Bowl system.
The worst thing that could happen to Div.1 College Football would be playoffs.
I don't care about the money, but I do care about degrading the regular season..
The "Win or sudden death" is one of the things that makes Div.1 the most exciting sport I still follow.
I'm also not convinced the best team would win it all in a playoff..So much would depend on who you draw and how you match up against their strengths/Weaknesses.
Sort of like Rock State would crush Scissors Tech..Scissors Tech would cut through and severely beat Paper U...PU would easily cover the spread over Rock State.
Another key ingredient that would be missing would be the controversy..
People still argue about who would win between UNL and PSU in '94 or UNL and Mechicken in '97.
(Some of the bestest games are the ones that are never played).
I can't even remember which NFL teams won the last 4 Super Bowls..And Just barely some of the Bud Light commercials.
At the Time, I would've killed to see us play a Head2Head with those two teams, but you need to be wise enough to be careful what you wish for..Even though we would've won (Probably), There'd still be a little empty feeling inside..It's more than just winning...It's the journey to get there.
I like the fact that around half the teams and their Sr's playing in their last game ever..finnish with a WIN..Lots more important than finding a "TRUE MNC" that got the right Draw.
Bleeding Husker Red
Starter
I'd rather have the Bowls. To me the only real way of ending all the controversy is to discredit the polls and get rid of them.
Look at it this way. At one time college football played a few games, then the season was over. Then somebody started a bowl game in the post season and invited a couple of teams. So far so good. People came, the newspaper wrote a story, the players went back to class.... life was good.
But then, somebody started taking polls about who's better than who. If my history knowledge serves me right all of the early polls were media people. The coaches poll didn't start until the 1950s. So they have these polls and they write about them...then they start arguing about them... This team should have won this or that...you know the drill. Big controversy started by news media...IN NEWS Media...everybody reads the paper or watches it on Sports Center. NOw all they have to form opinion or thought by is what they see the media feeding to them, and what's the media doing? Screaming about how unfair the bowl system is (they don't use our poll instead) we have to get rid of the bowls.
So we do. But then every year, sports media needs to have something to freak out over ( those pesky ratings kind of mandate that). So they find flaws ( real or not) ibn the poll system (BCS). So every year something has to be fixed. More ad naseum reporting on how screwed up CFB is.. and another rule change results.
It's the same every year. As soon as you get a playoff they'll have to find a problem with that or they won't have anything to fill up broadcast time on sports center. The truth is that there was nothing wrong with the bowls. You didn't always get the best match ups but you wouldn't in a playoff either. Or am I to believe that Ohio State belonged in the NC this past season? I don't think the Superbowl was the ideal matchup this year either , but that's me.
Now the question I have..is why use these polls AT ALL? Since they aren't good for anything but giving some know it aqll on TV something to prattle about, let's just get rid of them. Why should a sports reporter have any say in who a league champion is anyway? They're supposed to report about the game, not play it from the broadcast booth! They're aren't a part of the league to begin with, just observers.
They only poll worth anything at all is the coaches poll. At they're part of the NCAA.
So I say kill the polls. Let the kids play for their conference championship , which amounts to being a NATURAL playoff system and just forget all about the so called "National Champion". Win your conference, go to a bowl as a reward, then go back to class. And let our sensationalist, over-hyping news media just take a nap.
BHR
dedhoarse
Look at it this way. At one time college football played a few games, then the season was over. Then somebody started a bowl game in the post season and invited a couple of teams. So far so good. People came, the newspaper wrote a story, the players went back to class.... life was good.
But then, somebody started taking polls about who's better than who. If my history knowledge serves me right all of the early polls were media people. The coaches poll didn't start until the 1950s. So they have these polls and they write about them...then they start arguing about them... This team should have won this or that...you know the drill. Big controversy started by news media...IN NEWS Media...everybody reads the paper or watches it on Sports Center. NOw all they have to form opinion or thought by is what they see the media feeding to them, and what's the media doing? Screaming about how unfair the bowl system is (they don't use our poll instead) we have to get rid of the bowls.
So we do. But then every year, sports media needs to have something to freak out over ( those pesky ratings kind of mandate that). So they find flaws ( real or not) ibn the poll system (BCS). So every year something has to be fixed. More ad naseum reporting on how screwed up CFB is.. and another rule change results.
It's the same every year. As soon as you get a playoff they'll have to find a problem with that or they won't have anything to fill up broadcast time on sports center. The truth is that there was nothing wrong with the bowls. You didn't always get the best match ups but you wouldn't in a playoff either. Or am I to believe that Ohio State belonged in the NC this past season? I don't think the Superbowl was the ideal matchup this year either , but that's me.
Now the question I have..is why use these polls AT ALL? Since they aren't good for anything but giving some know it aqll on TV something to prattle about, let's just get rid of them. Why should a sports reporter have any say in who a league champion is anyway? They're supposed to report about the game, not play it from the broadcast booth! They're aren't a part of the league to begin with, just observers.
They only poll worth anything at all is the coaches poll. At they're part of the NCAA.
So I say kill the polls. Let the kids play for their conference championship , which amounts to being a NATURAL playoff system and just forget all about the so called "National Champion". Win your conference, go to a bowl as a reward, then go back to class. And let our sensationalist, over-hyping news media just take a nap.
BHR
dedhoarse
strigori
All-American
Given that college football is more popular than ever, I fail to see how changing something as major and traditional as the whole season and bowl system would be good for the game.
Playoffs devalue the regular season. Period. This isnt even open for debate. Take a look at every other major sport. Everyone who has a playoff has teams that are barley over .500 that qualify. That's crap. Once teams secure home field they rest the stars, and sandbag the rest of the games. Look at the Colts last year. College football is unique. Every single game matters. The week one game matters as much as the last week game. Lose one, and your odds of winning it all go to hell, fast. With a playoff, rivalries would mean less, all games would. With playoffs teams with a loss or two or even 3 in a 8 or 16 or more set up would become a fixture. All you have to do is get hot at the end of the season (See the Giants last year)to make a run.
A plus one system would just be the first step to a full playoff. This is how it started in 1-AA. 4 then 4 then 16. How long would it be before 32 teams were in it and the regular season becomes the joke it is in the NBA and NHL? All a Plus One does is more the argument from who is #1 and #2 to who is #4. The teams at 5, 6 and 7 would still be pissed off. Hence the gradual move to larger fields.
The controversy is good for the game. It gives people something to talk and argue about. Things are not broken now, and so there is no need to fix them.
Playoffs devalue the regular season. Period. This isnt even open for debate. Take a look at every other major sport. Everyone who has a playoff has teams that are barley over .500 that qualify. That's crap. Once teams secure home field they rest the stars, and sandbag the rest of the games. Look at the Colts last year. College football is unique. Every single game matters. The week one game matters as much as the last week game. Lose one, and your odds of winning it all go to hell, fast. With a playoff, rivalries would mean less, all games would. With playoffs teams with a loss or two or even 3 in a 8 or 16 or more set up would become a fixture. All you have to do is get hot at the end of the season (See the Giants last year)to make a run.
A plus one system would just be the first step to a full playoff. This is how it started in 1-AA. 4 then 4 then 16. How long would it be before 32 teams were in it and the regular season becomes the joke it is in the NBA and NHL? All a Plus One does is more the argument from who is #1 and #2 to who is #4. The teams at 5, 6 and 7 would still be pissed off. Hence the gradual move to larger fields.
The controversy is good for the game. It gives people something to talk and argue about. Things are not broken now, and so there is no need to fix them.
AR Husker Fan
Team HuskerBoard
At one time, I really wanted to see a playoff system. But more and more, what I'd like to see is the return to the old bowl system - not even the BCS. Fewer bowls, and they were actually a reward for a great season.
Yes, a playoff would, presumably, provide a "real" national champion - but so what? Personally, I enjoy the debates that ensued from the old system, the jockying for bowl position, etc. I loved that all the "major" bowls were played on January 1 - and you could set aside a day to just "gorge" on college football.
All in all, I think that a playoff system will do more harm than good.
Yes, a playoff would, presumably, provide a "real" national champion - but so what? Personally, I enjoy the debates that ensued from the old system, the jockying for bowl position, etc. I loved that all the "major" bowls were played on January 1 - and you could set aside a day to just "gorge" on college football.
All in all, I think that a playoff system will do more harm than good.